So I'm standing there and out of nowhere I got sucker punched!!!!
It's strange because I've wanted a relationship and frankly it came as a surprise that someone so much younger than I am has connected with me more than anyone else I've known.
We talked and video chatted and She amazes me in every way!
I miss her right now and I talked to her not but a few hours ago, We have a lot in common and she likes me for who I am even in all my dorkiness!!!
I'm breaking all my rules which is weird for me to do in the least, She's young which normally I keep the girls I date to 25 and older...
She's not a believer which I'm not going to try and convert Her in any way because it's a personal decision She has to make on Her own although it would be even better if she did make that choice on Her own.
I never expected this at all but I find it sad and strange that all the Christian women I asked out all shot me down or plain just don't like me and yet a Non Christian girl accepts me for who I am and absolutely adores me!
That is totally messed up!
I've been asked why I didn't find someone close who's a Christian and my reply is this...
"I tried, I really did and all I got was shot down every single time."
I know this is bad in some ways but I'm so sick of being the nice 'well behaved' guy who gets nowhere with anyone and the guy women don't want to be with so I'm going to stop, relax and have fun for once in my life.
People I know won't like it but I'm an adult and it's not for lack of trying to find a nice Christian girl, I've had more of a connection with Steph than anyone else I've ever met!!!
This feels so right and She makes me so happy that I just want to be around Her all the time, it's very hard to not be around Her, I've never felt like I've wanted to be with anyone this badly before.
The strangest part of this all is how quickly it happened and the fact of how much I like Her in such a short time. :D
I know this is the spot I normally put a quote for you but I'm smiling too much... Maybe I'll add one later. lol :D
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Monday, August 23, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The National day of Prayer: Becoming an outlaw for God.
I'm going to do something different than what's on the list and I've been so busy with my other Projects that I haven't gotten to anything on my list of Topics.
I did get to thinking though, Today is the National day of Prayer and a governmental Judge said that it's "Unconstitutional" to pray.
What kind of world are we living in that it's against the law to pray where we want to in public?
It's our right to pray, despite popular belief this country was founded on Christian principals as seen in their writings, our founding Fathers meant for us to have freedom to choose a religion and to Keep the government out of the churches business in dictating what people can and can't believe or telling the people what Churches they can or can't belong to.
It was not to keep Religious Principals out of Government, It is the Ethics of the people that keep the Government in line and keep our freedoms in tact.
This was because of the Fact that there was Religious oppression coming from England and the founding Fathers were trying to escape that Oppression.
Now there are people in government who are stripping our rights to worship in our way, all we wanted was to recognize our heritage on a national level, we weren't trying to force people to pray or forcing people of other beliefs to convert.
We would like to see that happen on people's own accord but what's strangely sad is it seems that while Christian rights are being stripped other religious rights are being presented, what do you think would happen if the government said that Muslims couldn't pray?
May the 6th we move forward and we are praying anyway with or without the government's permission and there is an outcry by anti-Christian groups because we're still praying despite them not recognizing it as a national thing.
WE the people will bring this to the forefront and recognize the National day of prayer as our right.
They can't stop people from praying, The can't tell us what we can Believe, It is our rights as Americans and most of all it is our Human right.
If it is Illegal to Pray then I will be an outlaw, I am not accountable to Men...I am accountable to God.
If you are a believer please keep praying for our Government because those in office need guidance.
If you do not believe that is your right but please respect our right to pray, we're not forcing you to pray and that is not the goal of the National Day of Prayer, the goal is to gather those who do believe to pray peacefully for our nation, our leaders and most importantly the world.
Yes we can pray any time of the year but it seems so scattered that if we have one day to band together it brings us together as a Church whole, no matter what Denomination.
We are the Body of Christ and we must keep our spiritual freedoms in tact because if we don't it won't be too much longer until Prayer really will be Illegal.
Let me leave you with this quote from the movie Kingdom of Heaven>>
"A King may move a man, a father may claim a son. That man can also move himself. And only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played, or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone. Even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say "but I was told by others to do thus" or that "virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that."
I did get to thinking though, Today is the National day of Prayer and a governmental Judge said that it's "Unconstitutional" to pray.
What kind of world are we living in that it's against the law to pray where we want to in public?
It's our right to pray, despite popular belief this country was founded on Christian principals as seen in their writings, our founding Fathers meant for us to have freedom to choose a religion and to Keep the government out of the churches business in dictating what people can and can't believe or telling the people what Churches they can or can't belong to.
It was not to keep Religious Principals out of Government, It is the Ethics of the people that keep the Government in line and keep our freedoms in tact.
This was because of the Fact that there was Religious oppression coming from England and the founding Fathers were trying to escape that Oppression.
Now there are people in government who are stripping our rights to worship in our way, all we wanted was to recognize our heritage on a national level, we weren't trying to force people to pray or forcing people of other beliefs to convert.
We would like to see that happen on people's own accord but what's strangely sad is it seems that while Christian rights are being stripped other religious rights are being presented, what do you think would happen if the government said that Muslims couldn't pray?
May the 6th we move forward and we are praying anyway with or without the government's permission and there is an outcry by anti-Christian groups because we're still praying despite them not recognizing it as a national thing.
WE the people will bring this to the forefront and recognize the National day of prayer as our right.
They can't stop people from praying, The can't tell us what we can Believe, It is our rights as Americans and most of all it is our Human right.
If it is Illegal to Pray then I will be an outlaw, I am not accountable to Men...I am accountable to God.
If you are a believer please keep praying for our Government because those in office need guidance.
If you do not believe that is your right but please respect our right to pray, we're not forcing you to pray and that is not the goal of the National Day of Prayer, the goal is to gather those who do believe to pray peacefully for our nation, our leaders and most importantly the world.
Yes we can pray any time of the year but it seems so scattered that if we have one day to band together it brings us together as a Church whole, no matter what Denomination.
We are the Body of Christ and we must keep our spiritual freedoms in tact because if we don't it won't be too much longer until Prayer really will be Illegal.
Let me leave you with this quote from the movie Kingdom of Heaven>>
"A King may move a man, a father may claim a son. That man can also move himself. And only then does that man truly begin his own game. Remember that howsoever you are played, or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone. Even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say "but I was told by others to do thus" or that "virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Living Fearlessly
Fear, Just about everyone is afraid of something, there's whole books dedicated to phobias and what people fear.
Fear holds even the very best of us back, you will never get anywhere or do anything if you fear what hasn't happened yet, if you fear all the bad things happening nothing good will come either.
I found out a funny little fact that I find interesting to me, a study said that more people had a fear of public speaking than death.
Interesting thing fear is, the idea is that people take something that hasn't happened yet and allowed it to control them.
How odd that something that has yet to happen could control a person's actions.
There are some like myself who really have no fear of things and get past that what if mentality,
Now off the top of my head I honestly can't think of one thing I fear, maybe because I know God is looking out for me and even if something were to happen then there must have been a reason and I won't have to worry about bills any more.{That last part is a joke but you get the jest of it.}
I watched tv once and a show was on where they showed peoples fears of things and this woman had a fear of balloons of all things.
Now as I stated, some have no fear and that can be a good or bad thing as long as you don't take either too far.
What is the difference between the two types of people?
I often wonder to myself why fear is like a tornado and it effects one person while leaving another in tact.
I have been in car accidents before and I was fine, I got back on the road and drove again, making sure I was a bit more careful next time.
However I have seen people who get into a car accident and are so mentally wounded that they can't set foot in a car, Bus or any other transport without freaking out or breaking down.
I've been bitten by dogs and yet I love dogs, others get bitten and they can't even see a picture of a dog without fretting, as if the dog will leap out of the picture to bite them.
Fear doesn't do anything but hold us back serving as a what if reminder and keeping a person in a physiological prison.
Throughout History Man has known fear does nothing for people except damage people and we can either rule our fears or we can let it dictate what we can or can't do.
There are whole groups of people who fear Germs so they don't go out and clean excessively not realizing that they are doing more damage than good.
I don't use hand sanitizer because people who use it all the time wind up with weaker immune systems because the germs get used to it and their systems can't handle things when something does come along.
I do use soap in case you were worried. :)
There have been many great quotes about fear>
Sven Goran wrote “The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”
“FEAR is an acronym in the English language for "False Evidence Appearing Real""-Neale Donald Walsch
“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”-Mary Manin Morrissey
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”- Ambrose Redmoon
and of course one of the most famous by Franklin D. Roosevelt “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”
The list goes on forever including Bible quotes and there is a whole wide range of things out there to be afraid of and there are always things that will happen whether you choose to be afraid or not but I choose to let it not manipulate me.
On the other side there are people who show no fear but do so foolishly thinking that if they push it God will save them from impending doom if He still has things for them to do.
I'm not ragging on thrill seekers by any means, they have equipment or know the equipment is safe before doing things or at the least know what their doing. {Sometimes}
There must be a balance between living and using common sense with caution.
For instance there are people who practice snake handling in churches, these are deadly venomous snakes that can kill you and they think this proves their faith.
why would they think this you ask??
It's because of a scripture Mark 16:18 that says "they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
This has mislead many people to believe the wrong thing resulting in many deaths over the years when this scripture has been taken out of context.
The full scripture says>>
He{Meaning Jesus} said to them,Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Seeing the full scripture shows that EVEN if we are to be poisoned or bitten by snakes we will not be affected, we aren't to tempt fate by pushing anything to prove our faith.
Having said everything I have I must say this next, some people have a fear of talking to others about God or Jesus or the Bible.
This is what the Bible has to say about fear>>
Psalm 23:4 says "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me."
Ps. 27:1-3 says "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident."
Psalm 56:11 says "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me."
2 Timothy shows that Fear does NOT come from God and states "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
God doesn't want us to fear anything because if He is for us who can be against us?
It's at this point people usually ask this question.
Q.If He doesn't want us to fear Him why is it called the fear of the lord or fear the lord your God?
A.This is a misunderstanding and merely something that takes a little bit of study to understand.
The real meaning for the fear of the Lord means to respect God enough to Obey His Commandments, I'll explain Further.
For someone who doesn't Believe, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God {we must all face in the end}, which means eternal separation from God-Luke 12:5 & Hebrews 10:31.
For the believer however, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 says “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to God.
Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 states “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.
Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love as in Hebrews 12:6, it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some of our actions being mistakes. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.
Believers shouldn't be scared of God because We have no reason to be scared of Him.
We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love -Romans 8:38-39. We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us as in Hebrews 13:5. Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His ways so that it saves us pain later, and worshipping Him in awe.
Fear is never a good thing and won't control us unless we let it.
I hope this Helps you understand a little bit better, Let me leave you with two last Quotes.
"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold." -Helen Keller
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived." -Spanish proverb
Fear holds even the very best of us back, you will never get anywhere or do anything if you fear what hasn't happened yet, if you fear all the bad things happening nothing good will come either.
I found out a funny little fact that I find interesting to me, a study said that more people had a fear of public speaking than death.
Interesting thing fear is, the idea is that people take something that hasn't happened yet and allowed it to control them.
How odd that something that has yet to happen could control a person's actions.
There are some like myself who really have no fear of things and get past that what if mentality,
Now off the top of my head I honestly can't think of one thing I fear, maybe because I know God is looking out for me and even if something were to happen then there must have been a reason and I won't have to worry about bills any more.{That last part is a joke but you get the jest of it.}
I watched tv once and a show was on where they showed peoples fears of things and this woman had a fear of balloons of all things.
Now as I stated, some have no fear and that can be a good or bad thing as long as you don't take either too far.
What is the difference between the two types of people?
I often wonder to myself why fear is like a tornado and it effects one person while leaving another in tact.
I have been in car accidents before and I was fine, I got back on the road and drove again, making sure I was a bit more careful next time.
However I have seen people who get into a car accident and are so mentally wounded that they can't set foot in a car, Bus or any other transport without freaking out or breaking down.
I've been bitten by dogs and yet I love dogs, others get bitten and they can't even see a picture of a dog without fretting, as if the dog will leap out of the picture to bite them.
Fear doesn't do anything but hold us back serving as a what if reminder and keeping a person in a physiological prison.
Throughout History Man has known fear does nothing for people except damage people and we can either rule our fears or we can let it dictate what we can or can't do.
There are whole groups of people who fear Germs so they don't go out and clean excessively not realizing that they are doing more damage than good.
I don't use hand sanitizer because people who use it all the time wind up with weaker immune systems because the germs get used to it and their systems can't handle things when something does come along.
I do use soap in case you were worried. :)
There have been many great quotes about fear>
Sven Goran wrote “The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”
“FEAR is an acronym in the English language for "False Evidence Appearing Real""-Neale Donald Walsch
“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”-Mary Manin Morrissey
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”- Ambrose Redmoon
and of course one of the most famous by Franklin D. Roosevelt “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”
The list goes on forever including Bible quotes and there is a whole wide range of things out there to be afraid of and there are always things that will happen whether you choose to be afraid or not but I choose to let it not manipulate me.
On the other side there are people who show no fear but do so foolishly thinking that if they push it God will save them from impending doom if He still has things for them to do.
I'm not ragging on thrill seekers by any means, they have equipment or know the equipment is safe before doing things or at the least know what their doing. {Sometimes}
There must be a balance between living and using common sense with caution.
For instance there are people who practice snake handling in churches, these are deadly venomous snakes that can kill you and they think this proves their faith.
why would they think this you ask??
It's because of a scripture Mark 16:18 that says "they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
This has mislead many people to believe the wrong thing resulting in many deaths over the years when this scripture has been taken out of context.
The full scripture says>>
He{Meaning Jesus} said to them,Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Seeing the full scripture shows that EVEN if we are to be poisoned or bitten by snakes we will not be affected, we aren't to tempt fate by pushing anything to prove our faith.
Having said everything I have I must say this next, some people have a fear of talking to others about God or Jesus or the Bible.
This is what the Bible has to say about fear>>
Psalm 23:4 says "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me."
Ps. 27:1-3 says "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident."
Psalm 56:11 says "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me."
2 Timothy shows that Fear does NOT come from God and states "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
God doesn't want us to fear anything because if He is for us who can be against us?
It's at this point people usually ask this question.
Q.If He doesn't want us to fear Him why is it called the fear of the lord or fear the lord your God?
A.This is a misunderstanding and merely something that takes a little bit of study to understand.
The real meaning for the fear of the Lord means to respect God enough to Obey His Commandments, I'll explain Further.
For someone who doesn't Believe, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God {we must all face in the end}, which means eternal separation from God-Luke 12:5 & Hebrews 10:31.
For the believer however, the fear of God is something much different. The believer's fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 says “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe is exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to God.
Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous. Deuteronomy 10:12, 20-21 states “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” The fear of God is the basis for our walking in His ways, serving Him, and, yes, loving Him.
Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love as in Hebrews 12:6, it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some of our actions being mistakes. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.
Believers shouldn't be scared of God because We have no reason to be scared of Him.
We have His promise that nothing can separate us from His love -Romans 8:38-39. We have His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us as in Hebrews 13:5. Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His ways so that it saves us pain later, and worshipping Him in awe.
Fear is never a good thing and won't control us unless we let it.
I hope this Helps you understand a little bit better, Let me leave you with two last Quotes.
"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold." -Helen Keller
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived." -Spanish proverb
Monday, April 19, 2010
Diamonds and Faith
I wrote this a while back in my Facebook notes but I thought I would put it up on my blog too because I liked it.
Do you know how Diamonds are made?
Diamonds are made only one way, they start out as a ugly lump of coal, then with enough time and pressure the ugliness falls away to show the diamond in the ruff then a jeweler comes along and cuts out all the unsightly bits and when it's done it shines brighter than any other, such is that of Life and Faith.
People ask how God can make good people suffer but I don't see it as suffering so much as being shaped to be a brighter Gem, we pretend to want to change or even want to change things about us that might appear unsightly to the world.
It's something painful which we tend to forget, our lives start out with a lot of sin much like coal then we go through pressures of life and some depending on how big of diamond they will become, it will take a bit longer or more pressure to break through to the diamond inside.
When we go through getting rid of a lot of the sin in our lives there's still all the rough bits that need to be worked out so that's where our Jeweler comes in.
God comes along and starts striping away the rough parts until we're polished and brighter than not only what we were before but can show others what good can come out of what seemed to be bad situations.
Once a diamond is done it's one of the toughest substances in the world and that is what we strive to become and once that happens we can go through anything and affect life rather than us being affected by it.
Let me leave you with this Quote...
“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear" - Daniel Defoe.
Do you know how Diamonds are made?
Diamonds are made only one way, they start out as a ugly lump of coal, then with enough time and pressure the ugliness falls away to show the diamond in the ruff then a jeweler comes along and cuts out all the unsightly bits and when it's done it shines brighter than any other, such is that of Life and Faith.
People ask how God can make good people suffer but I don't see it as suffering so much as being shaped to be a brighter Gem, we pretend to want to change or even want to change things about us that might appear unsightly to the world.
It's something painful which we tend to forget, our lives start out with a lot of sin much like coal then we go through pressures of life and some depending on how big of diamond they will become, it will take a bit longer or more pressure to break through to the diamond inside.
When we go through getting rid of a lot of the sin in our lives there's still all the rough bits that need to be worked out so that's where our Jeweler comes in.
God comes along and starts striping away the rough parts until we're polished and brighter than not only what we were before but can show others what good can come out of what seemed to be bad situations.
Once a diamond is done it's one of the toughest substances in the world and that is what we strive to become and once that happens we can go through anything and affect life rather than us being affected by it.
Let me leave you with this Quote...
“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear" - Daniel Defoe.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Trying to Kill my flesh
Well I really didn't know what I wanted to post this on so I'll write until I find something.
It's often weird to me, I write and more often than not I wind up writing some lesson about God that I had no intention of writing in the first place but I guess you can't really help but write what's inside you.
In blogs or writing period people's inner self naturally comes through the words on the page and despite meaning this blog to be about my life I somehow always come back around to God.
I realized something not long ago which is something I wished I would have learned a long time ago.
I was told before years ago and through my life that I had a critical spirit and of course with me being as stubborn as I am took offence to it because I didn't like anyone telling me who to be.
The one thing I didn't see was that they weren't telling me who to be, they were trying to help me change the negative things that were doing harm in my life.
It took my own search of Who I am/was to see what I needed to change in myself, I've always had a heart after God, this isn't to say I didn't look at other religions but my search led me straight back to the true God again.
God showed me many things in my life, amazing things that were beyond the physical world.
My journey and search for God's goal for my life has been interesting to say the least but now I have a very good idea of what God has planned for me and I am very excited about it.
Recently I had a debate or argument over point of view with an old and dear friend of mine and it really wasn't until recently that I really realized how useless the flesh side of me was until then.
Despite My knowing and being confirmed by others I realized that no matter what I do or say or how much proof I have I cannot change anyone.
This is beyond my friend, this goes to other places also, online forums and real life as well.
It seems people will always want to believe what they want to believe and there is nothing I can do about it, it has to be God who does it because if it were me there are plenty of people I want to smack and shake them.
I can't live in that old self anymore, there is no room for my flesh and God at the same time.
It is a very hard thing indeed to die to your flesh, in fact I don't think people realize that they're living in the flesh or realize that they can't have both sitting there.
It's like having a small closet packed with clothes and then trying to have a winter jacket in there too, it's not going to work very well.
in the past I have had a critical spirit and I see now that it does me no good, it just brings too much negativity over something I can't control.
I guess I saw that maybe I didn't trust God as much as I thought I did because if I did trust Him I wouldn't have to force anything or get upset if someone doesn't understand what I'm saying, even saying I'm wrong when I know I'm not.
These are things I cannot control, I can't control people and I think once I came to that realization that I should trust God enough to show my words as truth.
In the end there are far too many people to waste my time trying to argue with them when it's out of my control and nothing I do will change them, it has to be God, He can do the work.
That doesn't mean I'll stop talking to people what's right and wrong or what the Bible says, it just means I'll stop trying so hard it frustrates and makes me want to scream.
I will try to stay true to that and try to work hard on getting rid of that critical spirit and if anyone can help me it's God.
Keeping it in check that it won't creep up on me will be hard but I know it's something I need to do in the end because I want a soft pliable heart and moldable to what God wants to use me for.
When that happens I believe I'll be able to talk to people better and God will be able to use me in the way He intended to use me.
It's often weird to me, I write and more often than not I wind up writing some lesson about God that I had no intention of writing in the first place but I guess you can't really help but write what's inside you.
In blogs or writing period people's inner self naturally comes through the words on the page and despite meaning this blog to be about my life I somehow always come back around to God.
I realized something not long ago which is something I wished I would have learned a long time ago.
I was told before years ago and through my life that I had a critical spirit and of course with me being as stubborn as I am took offence to it because I didn't like anyone telling me who to be.
The one thing I didn't see was that they weren't telling me who to be, they were trying to help me change the negative things that were doing harm in my life.
It took my own search of Who I am/was to see what I needed to change in myself, I've always had a heart after God, this isn't to say I didn't look at other religions but my search led me straight back to the true God again.
God showed me many things in my life, amazing things that were beyond the physical world.
My journey and search for God's goal for my life has been interesting to say the least but now I have a very good idea of what God has planned for me and I am very excited about it.
Recently I had a debate or argument over point of view with an old and dear friend of mine and it really wasn't until recently that I really realized how useless the flesh side of me was until then.
Despite My knowing and being confirmed by others I realized that no matter what I do or say or how much proof I have I cannot change anyone.
This is beyond my friend, this goes to other places also, online forums and real life as well.
It seems people will always want to believe what they want to believe and there is nothing I can do about it, it has to be God who does it because if it were me there are plenty of people I want to smack and shake them.
I can't live in that old self anymore, there is no room for my flesh and God at the same time.
It is a very hard thing indeed to die to your flesh, in fact I don't think people realize that they're living in the flesh or realize that they can't have both sitting there.
It's like having a small closet packed with clothes and then trying to have a winter jacket in there too, it's not going to work very well.
in the past I have had a critical spirit and I see now that it does me no good, it just brings too much negativity over something I can't control.
I guess I saw that maybe I didn't trust God as much as I thought I did because if I did trust Him I wouldn't have to force anything or get upset if someone doesn't understand what I'm saying, even saying I'm wrong when I know I'm not.
These are things I cannot control, I can't control people and I think once I came to that realization that I should trust God enough to show my words as truth.
In the end there are far too many people to waste my time trying to argue with them when it's out of my control and nothing I do will change them, it has to be God, He can do the work.
That doesn't mean I'll stop talking to people what's right and wrong or what the Bible says, it just means I'll stop trying so hard it frustrates and makes me want to scream.
I will try to stay true to that and try to work hard on getting rid of that critical spirit and if anyone can help me it's God.
Keeping it in check that it won't creep up on me will be hard but I know it's something I need to do in the end because I want a soft pliable heart and moldable to what God wants to use me for.
When that happens I believe I'll be able to talk to people better and God will be able to use me in the way He intended to use me.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The reality of God's forgiveness and Grace
Forgiveness, Everyone likes to be forgiven whether it be from a hurt friend for something that happened or God's forgiveness for our sins.
God has set a standard for everyone to live by which is to not sin and since that is impossible, God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins as a payment so we could be forgiven for our crimes against God.
We all have sins we deal with but culture seems to have a liberal understanding of this with all sorts of Ideas outside of the Bible what God says is right in wrong.
They make excuses like "I'm a good person" in an attempt to justify their behavior in continuing their life in sin.
Then there's the other type of person who dismiss' God altogether saying that there is no such thing as sin, no right or wrong and that sin is subjective.
These notions are false, much like the Idea that there is more than one way to get to heaven.
Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
People think that by forming their ideas of God in their image that He'll be ok with how they live their lives even if it clearly goes against what God has said.
I've heard some people say "Well My god wouldn't send anyone to hell." but that's just it, their god wouldn't but clearly God said He would.
Matthew 13:42: "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Matt 25:41: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." This passage relates to Jesus' judgment of all the world.
Mark 9:43-48: And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched." The reference to fire is repeated three more times in the passage for emphasis.
Luke 16:24: "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." This is a plea described as coming from an inhabitant of Hell.
As a sign in Georgia puts it "Just because you don't believe in Hell don't mean you ain't goin' there."
In making God ok with whatever they want they become idolaters no different than Pagans who worship the earth or other things God created.
People have a tendency to like the title of Christian but they are so in name only, the sad fact is most don't see a reason to go to church so they don't go except observing for holiday services.
Their reasoning behind it is that there are too many Hypocrites or they don't like anyone telling them how to live their lives.
That is very spiritually immature and shows they have no interest in God and His ways or even getting close to God because if they won't listen to those God has put up to help us understand His word better.
This is not to say that all pastors are right in their theology or that there aren't Hypocrites in the church but people fail to realize a few things.
1. Pastors with wrong Theology.
This is why we need to read the Bible making sure that we know when something doesn't line up with scripture and know if someone is correct or not.
Those who are correct show us a point of view that we couldn't see and those who aren't will be exposed by those who know what the Bible states.
2. Hypocrites.
These people are the ones who are Christian in title but do not study God's word so they go out and act like the rest of the world and then go to church asking for forgiveness but never trying to change.
What people SHOULD be asking themselves why they can't be the person to be an example for others.
You might be interested to know that Matthew 7:22-23 states "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
Also Matthew 7:16 says "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"
These two Verses show that you will be able to tell who are real christians by plastic ones and that these people who claim to know God, He will tell them that He does not know them and that they are evil.
So as you can see the hypocrites will not go unpunished by God and their deeds will be seen because they're hearts will be open before Him.
There are reasons for Church, the first church started as home groups, breaking bread with each other and what some fail to see is that we are there to help strengthen each other in faith.
The people are the church not some building but the Idea of church no matter how big or small is based on the people being with each other.
It's easy to get lost in a big church but this is where you must pray for what church God wants you at and a church that lines up with the Bible says.
In Proverbs 27:17 it says "As iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
Matthew 18:20 states "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
These two verses alone go to show that you cannot be by yourself and expect to keep on track, you have no one to be accountable to and your actions to stay on the straight and narrow.
This is not to say you can't read alone but it's always good to have others to confirm correct teaching.
Now having set that right let me Get back to God's forgiveness...
The whole Idea of God's forgiveness relies on the fact that we need to have real repentance which means doing a 180 from our sins.
Everyone has trouble with falling into traps of their own, we're only human after all but at least making an effort to try and turn from it is what counts.
There are some who think they can continue sinning and just ask for forgiveness, God knows your heart and knows if you're honest with wanting forgiveness or if you're trying to fool God but they're only fooling themselves into thinking that their hearts aren't revealed before God.
God's forgiveness works on Repentance, if someone is not honestly repentant then God cannot forgive them.
There are those as I stated that don't believe anything is a sin and with that they cannot be forgiven.
This is not to say people cannot be forgiven on their deathbed, the point is that your ask for forgiveness is about being honestly being sorry for what you did.
Some think they can use this as an excuse to wait until the last minute but this is faulty thinking and here's why.
1.You don't know when you'll die, anything could happen and you could die at any moment without warning.
2. You loose time...
When you're a witness to others you gain your reward in heaven through both bringing others to Christ and also through what you did in your life.
Now this is NOT to say that works alone will do it by any means, James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead and Vise Versa but you also have to look at and consider Ephesians 2:8 which says salvation is by grace through faith.
We were meant to do good works but not rely on them totally for our salvation because it has already been worked out but is only part of who we are supposed to be in Christ.
3. God knows our hearts.
Waiting for the last second is a major problem due to the fact that God knows you've been putting it off, they try to postpone living for God so they can live their own way and then when life is over they think they can fool God into thinking that they were sorry for living in sin.
The problem is that they're hearts are exposed before God, He knows when they're trying to fool Him or if they are really being honest.
I hope this has shown you a great deal and helps you understand the truth behind the grace of God.
We must be honest, Repent accept Jesus is the only way, we cannot earn our way to heaven and should not wait for the last minute because we don't know when that will be.
After reading this please do yourself a favor, if you're trying to play games and trying to fool God into forgiveness while wanting to live your own way because you're only fooling yourself and it's both a shame and a waste.
Please read or reread as many times as needed, meditate on it and pray if you still don't understand.
God has set a standard for everyone to live by which is to not sin and since that is impossible, God sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins as a payment so we could be forgiven for our crimes against God.
We all have sins we deal with but culture seems to have a liberal understanding of this with all sorts of Ideas outside of the Bible what God says is right in wrong.
They make excuses like "I'm a good person" in an attempt to justify their behavior in continuing their life in sin.
Then there's the other type of person who dismiss' God altogether saying that there is no such thing as sin, no right or wrong and that sin is subjective.
These notions are false, much like the Idea that there is more than one way to get to heaven.
Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
People think that by forming their ideas of God in their image that He'll be ok with how they live their lives even if it clearly goes against what God has said.
I've heard some people say "Well My god wouldn't send anyone to hell." but that's just it, their god wouldn't but clearly God said He would.
Matthew 13:42: "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Matt 25:41: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." This passage relates to Jesus' judgment of all the world.
Mark 9:43-48: And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched." The reference to fire is repeated three more times in the passage for emphasis.
Luke 16:24: "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." This is a plea described as coming from an inhabitant of Hell.
As a sign in Georgia puts it "Just because you don't believe in Hell don't mean you ain't goin' there."
In making God ok with whatever they want they become idolaters no different than Pagans who worship the earth or other things God created.
People have a tendency to like the title of Christian but they are so in name only, the sad fact is most don't see a reason to go to church so they don't go except observing for holiday services.
Their reasoning behind it is that there are too many Hypocrites or they don't like anyone telling them how to live their lives.
That is very spiritually immature and shows they have no interest in God and His ways or even getting close to God because if they won't listen to those God has put up to help us understand His word better.
This is not to say that all pastors are right in their theology or that there aren't Hypocrites in the church but people fail to realize a few things.
1. Pastors with wrong Theology.
This is why we need to read the Bible making sure that we know when something doesn't line up with scripture and know if someone is correct or not.
Those who are correct show us a point of view that we couldn't see and those who aren't will be exposed by those who know what the Bible states.
2. Hypocrites.
These people are the ones who are Christian in title but do not study God's word so they go out and act like the rest of the world and then go to church asking for forgiveness but never trying to change.
What people SHOULD be asking themselves why they can't be the person to be an example for others.
You might be interested to know that Matthew 7:22-23 states "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
Also Matthew 7:16 says "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"
These two Verses show that you will be able to tell who are real christians by plastic ones and that these people who claim to know God, He will tell them that He does not know them and that they are evil.
So as you can see the hypocrites will not go unpunished by God and their deeds will be seen because they're hearts will be open before Him.
There are reasons for Church, the first church started as home groups, breaking bread with each other and what some fail to see is that we are there to help strengthen each other in faith.
The people are the church not some building but the Idea of church no matter how big or small is based on the people being with each other.
It's easy to get lost in a big church but this is where you must pray for what church God wants you at and a church that lines up with the Bible says.
In Proverbs 27:17 it says "As iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
Matthew 18:20 states "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
These two verses alone go to show that you cannot be by yourself and expect to keep on track, you have no one to be accountable to and your actions to stay on the straight and narrow.
This is not to say you can't read alone but it's always good to have others to confirm correct teaching.
Now having set that right let me Get back to God's forgiveness...
The whole Idea of God's forgiveness relies on the fact that we need to have real repentance which means doing a 180 from our sins.
Everyone has trouble with falling into traps of their own, we're only human after all but at least making an effort to try and turn from it is what counts.
There are some who think they can continue sinning and just ask for forgiveness, God knows your heart and knows if you're honest with wanting forgiveness or if you're trying to fool God but they're only fooling themselves into thinking that their hearts aren't revealed before God.
God's forgiveness works on Repentance, if someone is not honestly repentant then God cannot forgive them.
There are those as I stated that don't believe anything is a sin and with that they cannot be forgiven.
This is not to say people cannot be forgiven on their deathbed, the point is that your ask for forgiveness is about being honestly being sorry for what you did.
Some think they can use this as an excuse to wait until the last minute but this is faulty thinking and here's why.
1.You don't know when you'll die, anything could happen and you could die at any moment without warning.
2. You loose time...
When you're a witness to others you gain your reward in heaven through both bringing others to Christ and also through what you did in your life.
Now this is NOT to say that works alone will do it by any means, James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead and Vise Versa but you also have to look at and consider Ephesians 2:8 which says salvation is by grace through faith.
We were meant to do good works but not rely on them totally for our salvation because it has already been worked out but is only part of who we are supposed to be in Christ.
3. God knows our hearts.
Waiting for the last second is a major problem due to the fact that God knows you've been putting it off, they try to postpone living for God so they can live their own way and then when life is over they think they can fool God into thinking that they were sorry for living in sin.
The problem is that they're hearts are exposed before God, He knows when they're trying to fool Him or if they are really being honest.
I hope this has shown you a great deal and helps you understand the truth behind the grace of God.
We must be honest, Repent accept Jesus is the only way, we cannot earn our way to heaven and should not wait for the last minute because we don't know when that will be.
After reading this please do yourself a favor, if you're trying to play games and trying to fool God into forgiveness while wanting to live your own way because you're only fooling yourself and it's both a shame and a waste.
Please read or reread as many times as needed, meditate on it and pray if you still don't understand.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Good Ol' Abe and the Redesigning of America.
I've been on a Abraham Lincoln quoting Binge of late and I suppose that's because He has so many great quotes.
It's no secret where my views are and going through the Journey of life and finding out what I believe and standing for it even if it means the world is standing against me is actually easier than it looks.
Yes people get mad at me for it but since when has it stopped me any other time in my life?
I am stubborn and anyone who knows me can tell you that fact, I have a loud voice and perhaps am a bit too opinionated on everything due to the fact that I don't believe in tact.
It's not that I don't believe it doesn't exist, I just think it's a waste of time, I'm what you call a truth freak.
To me you are either telling the truth or lying and that may sound like something extreme to most but at least with me you know exactly where I stand and what I believe, there is no mixed messages or two faced person.
Now I do get misunderstood when I speak sometimes but that's part of life, my own Mother misunderstood me up until a few years ago so that says a lot for my complexity.
To explain farther To me, even if you're not telling the whole story you're leaving things out which is again... Lying.
Being brutally Honest can be hard sometimes but I figure it's a lot like a band-aid, it hurts at first and people don't like it much but then the pain is over and you know exactly how to mend the wound underneath.
Beating around the bush does no good because the truth comes back around again and you're wasting time rather than getting things figured out which has never made much sense to me.
So you ask "what does this have to do with the Redesigning of America?" I'm glad I asked in your voice.
well see lately our country has been going through turmoil and with the tea party movement and being divided over the Healthcare bill, being taxed wayyyy too much and other things.
I'm not sure people are aware of this but just last year alone there was over 7,500 tax bill adjustments added.
So if you didn't think we were being taxed too bad think again, We have over 7,500 tax laws in our country?!
I don't know about you but I think that is way too much taxing going on and on top of that California just started taxing it's people with the healthcare tax with a $2.00 add on to their current taxes.
This means when it ripples to everywhere else we can say goodbye to cheap late night taco bell runs for 79, 89 and 99 cents and instead we'll be paying 2.79,2.89,2.99.
Goodbye to dollar menus and the popular dollar stores.
There was a civil war and I don't wish that again, I hope that we can do this like reasonable people and hope that liberals see how much damage they're doing.
I am going to the Tea party rally on Thursday and I will be helping out there along with Republicans and Democrats alike.
We are brothers and sisters in this nation, we are not Black, White or Mexican Americans but just... Americans!
we have a common interest and belief and knowledge of what is right and wrong with a moral sense of outrage for what our government is becoming.
I heard a while back of racial slurs being yelled at black democrats and even though I believe they were liberals trying to make us look bad if I hear any such thing I am making a citizens arrest and waiting for the police to take them to jail because I will not tolerate that behavior!
But if we cannot succeed in our banning together peacefully to get back our government I fear we will have another civil war on our hands, the people raising up to take back this country.
Both Democrat and republicans {Conservatives} coming together to overhaul this country like it was meant to be in the past as our forefathers wrote.
We have gone through so much and we are a young nation yet compared to others and yet we took the lead showing our liberties and compassion for others to come here to make their home.
We did it under God in a covenant with Him and He had vastly blessed this nation and I believe if it were not for those praying we would have been destroyed long ago.
In such a short time we have become one of the largest and richest {despite our debt} nation in the world.
We have gathered ourselves to go help nations in need, spend our money to get Haiti back, give our time and money when Katrina Hit, when Germany and Hitler were threatening a global take over we joined those who were brave enough to fight such a thing.
War is not pretty and is tough but if freedom is not worth fighting for than should we be happy to turn over and become slaves to a power that threatens our very way of life?
Peace comes at a price and the way that the bullies are kept in check are with the thought that they might get hit back.
People think that if everyone were to just give all their guns up it would be peaceful but that is not true, if the good and honorable ones lay down their arms who will keep the evil one's in check? do you think evil people will give up their guns or do you think they will take advantage of an unarmed nation?
The honorable people will do the honorable thing while dishonorable people will not, it is the nature of things and people do not change.
If a man goes into a coffee shop to rob it and sees 7 people in there armed what is the likely hood that the robber will actually go through with it knowing there's a great chance He will be shot?
As sad as it is the more people who are armed the safer people are, it's an odd fact and you can look up the stats yourself.
Crime rates of Robberies, sex crimes, car thefts and a whole host of things actually went down when the people were free to carry guns.
My main point is this, we need to get back to the greatness of what we were as a country under the intentions of noble people.
We need to stick up for what is right in spite of people hating us for it, doing the right thing isn't always easy but it's worth it in the end to keep our freedoms.
We as a nation need to come together and Redesign America back to our roots because our current state is horrendous.
Please read or reread this and contemplate on it or send it to friends if you liked it because I believe it is very important in this time right now we are in.
Let me leave you with yet another Abraham Lincoln quote...
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it."
It's no secret where my views are and going through the Journey of life and finding out what I believe and standing for it even if it means the world is standing against me is actually easier than it looks.
Yes people get mad at me for it but since when has it stopped me any other time in my life?
I am stubborn and anyone who knows me can tell you that fact, I have a loud voice and perhaps am a bit too opinionated on everything due to the fact that I don't believe in tact.
It's not that I don't believe it doesn't exist, I just think it's a waste of time, I'm what you call a truth freak.
To me you are either telling the truth or lying and that may sound like something extreme to most but at least with me you know exactly where I stand and what I believe, there is no mixed messages or two faced person.
Now I do get misunderstood when I speak sometimes but that's part of life, my own Mother misunderstood me up until a few years ago so that says a lot for my complexity.
To explain farther To me, even if you're not telling the whole story you're leaving things out which is again... Lying.
Being brutally Honest can be hard sometimes but I figure it's a lot like a band-aid, it hurts at first and people don't like it much but then the pain is over and you know exactly how to mend the wound underneath.
Beating around the bush does no good because the truth comes back around again and you're wasting time rather than getting things figured out which has never made much sense to me.
So you ask "what does this have to do with the Redesigning of America?" I'm glad I asked in your voice.
well see lately our country has been going through turmoil and with the tea party movement and being divided over the Healthcare bill, being taxed wayyyy too much and other things.
I'm not sure people are aware of this but just last year alone there was over 7,500 tax bill adjustments added.
So if you didn't think we were being taxed too bad think again, We have over 7,500 tax laws in our country?!
I don't know about you but I think that is way too much taxing going on and on top of that California just started taxing it's people with the healthcare tax with a $2.00 add on to their current taxes.
This means when it ripples to everywhere else we can say goodbye to cheap late night taco bell runs for 79, 89 and 99 cents and instead we'll be paying 2.79,2.89,2.99.
Goodbye to dollar menus and the popular dollar stores.
There was a civil war and I don't wish that again, I hope that we can do this like reasonable people and hope that liberals see how much damage they're doing.
I am going to the Tea party rally on Thursday and I will be helping out there along with Republicans and Democrats alike.
We are brothers and sisters in this nation, we are not Black, White or Mexican Americans but just... Americans!
we have a common interest and belief and knowledge of what is right and wrong with a moral sense of outrage for what our government is becoming.
I heard a while back of racial slurs being yelled at black democrats and even though I believe they were liberals trying to make us look bad if I hear any such thing I am making a citizens arrest and waiting for the police to take them to jail because I will not tolerate that behavior!
But if we cannot succeed in our banning together peacefully to get back our government I fear we will have another civil war on our hands, the people raising up to take back this country.
Both Democrat and republicans {Conservatives} coming together to overhaul this country like it was meant to be in the past as our forefathers wrote.
We have gone through so much and we are a young nation yet compared to others and yet we took the lead showing our liberties and compassion for others to come here to make their home.
We did it under God in a covenant with Him and He had vastly blessed this nation and I believe if it were not for those praying we would have been destroyed long ago.
In such a short time we have become one of the largest and richest {despite our debt} nation in the world.
We have gathered ourselves to go help nations in need, spend our money to get Haiti back, give our time and money when Katrina Hit, when Germany and Hitler were threatening a global take over we joined those who were brave enough to fight such a thing.
War is not pretty and is tough but if freedom is not worth fighting for than should we be happy to turn over and become slaves to a power that threatens our very way of life?
Peace comes at a price and the way that the bullies are kept in check are with the thought that they might get hit back.
People think that if everyone were to just give all their guns up it would be peaceful but that is not true, if the good and honorable ones lay down their arms who will keep the evil one's in check? do you think evil people will give up their guns or do you think they will take advantage of an unarmed nation?
The honorable people will do the honorable thing while dishonorable people will not, it is the nature of things and people do not change.
If a man goes into a coffee shop to rob it and sees 7 people in there armed what is the likely hood that the robber will actually go through with it knowing there's a great chance He will be shot?
As sad as it is the more people who are armed the safer people are, it's an odd fact and you can look up the stats yourself.
Crime rates of Robberies, sex crimes, car thefts and a whole host of things actually went down when the people were free to carry guns.
My main point is this, we need to get back to the greatness of what we were as a country under the intentions of noble people.
We need to stick up for what is right in spite of people hating us for it, doing the right thing isn't always easy but it's worth it in the end to keep our freedoms.
We as a nation need to come together and Redesign America back to our roots because our current state is horrendous.
Please read or reread this and contemplate on it or send it to friends if you liked it because I believe it is very important in this time right now we are in.
Let me leave you with yet another Abraham Lincoln quote...
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it."
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Realizing who we are.
There comes a point in everyone's lives that they realize what type of person they are or asks "who am I really?"
I am a night owl as most would say, I stay up late scuttling around and wake up much later than most in the depths of the night.
As you can see by the post date it's around 1 am Sunday, I go to church and by all rights should be in bed sleeping but I'm not, it's kind of a waste of time.
We all need sleep, that's not what I'm really referring to, which is partly why I often times get misunderstood in what I'm talking about to people.
I'm not saying the sleep is a waste of time, Sleep is what the body uses to recover from all the energy you used during the day.
What I should in all honestly say is it's time lost, that time between night and morning when we all dream whether we remember it or not.
Our brain is constantly in motion and thinking even when our consciousness is shut down.
How amazing is it that God made us to keep working even when our body isn't?
It's doing maintenance and such, letting our often times locked imagination free.
we grow and even burns fat while we sleep {Albeit a very small amount.}
Sleep is amazing and fun on a lazy weekend in midday, lay and stretch out in the warm sun and drift to sleep.
Beyond being a night owl I am many things and I've gotten to the point of knowing who I am in both myself and who God has made me to be and I'm still being shaped every day to be a better version of myself.
There are things about me that I see that need changing, I know for a fact that I want to be more uplifting as a person instead of so critical.
It's often times hard to make those changes let alone see it in ourselves to know we should change it and often times when others point things out the first thing we jump into is denial.
We often refuse to admit there is anything wrong with us and I'm as guilty of that as anyone.
I've been learning what I need to change in my life to be a better me, changing bits of who we are isn't a bad thing when the bits are hurting our relationship with other people.
I'm a loud person, ask anyone I know, I have no indoor voice and I totally loose track of the volume of my voice without even realizing it sometimes.
It's kind of like TV. in the way that when your program is on the volume is lower but when the commercial comes on the volume boosts by 50% if not more.
I realize that if I want to interact with people I need to adjust to their level, it's not that I'm totally changing who I am as a person, Just finding a point where people can be around me.
when I get excited I get hyper and loud and for the most part I've really toned it down when I'm around certain people so it doesn't scare them so much anymore.
I know I used to ask "why can't people just accept me for me?" and I've begun to understand that not everyone can handle to full fledged YOU, you.
I've learned that you can still be who you are even if it is a watered down version of yourself.
Some of us don't like to do that but hey that's life, some people aren't used to certain types.
The rowdy and loud, extreme and outgoing, the life of the party type that makes a scene in front of everyone and doesn't care, heck the person might get a kick out of seeing the reactions from what they do.
David danced naked before God! :D
When I am in Full ME mode I am out there and outgoing, loud and the type of person that will pretty much do anything if I really want to simply because I want to live.
I'm not saying I'm going to do something foolish like do something on a dare because what good is being you if you're going to bow to what others want you to do?
I'm a blunt person and I'll tell you flat out what is right, wrong and what I think.
There is no mixed messages with me, If I tell you something I'm not going to go through the trouble of lying to you.
Yes it causes me trouble from time to time because frankly I think "tact" is a worthless and cowardly act from people trying to beat around the bush instead of telling the truth.
If it happens to hurt someone then it's like taking a needle shot, it stings for a bit but then the pain goes away and you go back to a normal life after words.
Lately I've been trying to be more silent and it's hard to tame the tongue let me tell you but that's a whole other story all together.
In all let me tell you this...
while it may not be easy to change, it's worth it in the end to make an attempt, not changing who you are, God made you to be who you are and He thinks you are wonderful but trying to shed those things that take away your value as a person.
Things like Anger and hate, spite, lust, envy, malice, Greed and gossip.
It's like someone spent millions of dollars building a house and find they have bad wiring so the lights flicker and such, they aren't going to sit by and do nothing, they call someone to get it fixed so the house works properly.
It works the same way with us, we are the ones that God has invested in, He sees our faults in the wiring and wants to fix that, He doesn't want to tare down the whole house, He likes the design and wants to keep it.
What He want's to do is come in and make those minor changes on the inside so we work better as a dwelling place.
There is another side to the coin, sometimes people want to be someone else because they don't like who they are because they see too much damaged goods.
Certain things happen in our lives, good and bad that shape who we are as a person and I believe everything happens for a reason, it shapes us and makes us more patient, makes us relate to others better.
I can tell you a person that has gone through more pain will be able to relate to people better than those who haven't.
It's our story and testimony to each other, our connection to the world through Christ.
What good is it to live a life where you never actually lived?
Some may get that and others may not get it but I'm sure if you contemplate on it, you might understand if you didn't right away.
In ending I want to tell you this, Be who you are, Love who you are, change things that hold you back and never want or compare yourself to others except Christ.
Let me leave you with these quotes...
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."
"Always be a first rate Version of yourself instead of a second rate version of someone else."
I am a night owl as most would say, I stay up late scuttling around and wake up much later than most in the depths of the night.
As you can see by the post date it's around 1 am Sunday, I go to church and by all rights should be in bed sleeping but I'm not, it's kind of a waste of time.
We all need sleep, that's not what I'm really referring to, which is partly why I often times get misunderstood in what I'm talking about to people.
I'm not saying the sleep is a waste of time, Sleep is what the body uses to recover from all the energy you used during the day.
What I should in all honestly say is it's time lost, that time between night and morning when we all dream whether we remember it or not.
Our brain is constantly in motion and thinking even when our consciousness is shut down.
How amazing is it that God made us to keep working even when our body isn't?
It's doing maintenance and such, letting our often times locked imagination free.
we grow and even burns fat while we sleep {Albeit a very small amount.}
Sleep is amazing and fun on a lazy weekend in midday, lay and stretch out in the warm sun and drift to sleep.
Beyond being a night owl I am many things and I've gotten to the point of knowing who I am in both myself and who God has made me to be and I'm still being shaped every day to be a better version of myself.
There are things about me that I see that need changing, I know for a fact that I want to be more uplifting as a person instead of so critical.
It's often times hard to make those changes let alone see it in ourselves to know we should change it and often times when others point things out the first thing we jump into is denial.
We often refuse to admit there is anything wrong with us and I'm as guilty of that as anyone.
I've been learning what I need to change in my life to be a better me, changing bits of who we are isn't a bad thing when the bits are hurting our relationship with other people.
I'm a loud person, ask anyone I know, I have no indoor voice and I totally loose track of the volume of my voice without even realizing it sometimes.
It's kind of like TV. in the way that when your program is on the volume is lower but when the commercial comes on the volume boosts by 50% if not more.
I realize that if I want to interact with people I need to adjust to their level, it's not that I'm totally changing who I am as a person, Just finding a point where people can be around me.
when I get excited I get hyper and loud and for the most part I've really toned it down when I'm around certain people so it doesn't scare them so much anymore.
I know I used to ask "why can't people just accept me for me?" and I've begun to understand that not everyone can handle to full fledged YOU, you.
I've learned that you can still be who you are even if it is a watered down version of yourself.
Some of us don't like to do that but hey that's life, some people aren't used to certain types.
The rowdy and loud, extreme and outgoing, the life of the party type that makes a scene in front of everyone and doesn't care, heck the person might get a kick out of seeing the reactions from what they do.
David danced naked before God! :D
When I am in Full ME mode I am out there and outgoing, loud and the type of person that will pretty much do anything if I really want to simply because I want to live.
I'm not saying I'm going to do something foolish like do something on a dare because what good is being you if you're going to bow to what others want you to do?
I'm a blunt person and I'll tell you flat out what is right, wrong and what I think.
There is no mixed messages with me, If I tell you something I'm not going to go through the trouble of lying to you.
Yes it causes me trouble from time to time because frankly I think "tact" is a worthless and cowardly act from people trying to beat around the bush instead of telling the truth.
If it happens to hurt someone then it's like taking a needle shot, it stings for a bit but then the pain goes away and you go back to a normal life after words.
Lately I've been trying to be more silent and it's hard to tame the tongue let me tell you but that's a whole other story all together.
In all let me tell you this...
while it may not be easy to change, it's worth it in the end to make an attempt, not changing who you are, God made you to be who you are and He thinks you are wonderful but trying to shed those things that take away your value as a person.
Things like Anger and hate, spite, lust, envy, malice, Greed and gossip.
It's like someone spent millions of dollars building a house and find they have bad wiring so the lights flicker and such, they aren't going to sit by and do nothing, they call someone to get it fixed so the house works properly.
It works the same way with us, we are the ones that God has invested in, He sees our faults in the wiring and wants to fix that, He doesn't want to tare down the whole house, He likes the design and wants to keep it.
What He want's to do is come in and make those minor changes on the inside so we work better as a dwelling place.
There is another side to the coin, sometimes people want to be someone else because they don't like who they are because they see too much damaged goods.
Certain things happen in our lives, good and bad that shape who we are as a person and I believe everything happens for a reason, it shapes us and makes us more patient, makes us relate to others better.
I can tell you a person that has gone through more pain will be able to relate to people better than those who haven't.
It's our story and testimony to each other, our connection to the world through Christ.
What good is it to live a life where you never actually lived?
Some may get that and others may not get it but I'm sure if you contemplate on it, you might understand if you didn't right away.
In ending I want to tell you this, Be who you are, Love who you are, change things that hold you back and never want or compare yourself to others except Christ.
Let me leave you with these quotes...
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."
"Always be a first rate Version of yourself instead of a second rate version of someone else."
Friday, April 9, 2010
Extremism in this world.
I read a blog statement not long ago saying they can't Imagine loving or hating to extremes or making blanket statements about any one group so here is my answer to them.
I think it's funny that some say this world is full of extremes when it's not as extreme as one might think.
They might call Terrorists "extremists" but this is rare from how normal people live their lives.
If everyone were as extreme as you say then the word extreme would no longer apply since it would then be considered "normal".
At one point showing a bit of leg was extreme in the past but now extreme is when two women poo in a cup and then throw up in each others mouths!
Now showing leg is nothing let alone called extreme by any spark of the Imagination.
As far as "religion" goes According to God {The Christian one} we are to love Him with all our hearts soul and mind... If that isn't enough He told us that we should be either HOT or cold for Him we cannot be luke warm or He will spit us out of His mouth.
THAT is extreme by all means, For Jesus to go up on the cross and take punishment for something He didn't do and DIE for it. THAT is extreme.
Most people live apathetic lives and that is where they wind up... In spiritual apathy.
I can't stand certain types of groups {Not races} Such as Dems because they have all shown themselves to be the same, I have yet to find one that has proven me wrong.
If I found one that were to show themselves different then I would gladly say there is one person different than the rest.
Same with a few other groups that have shown they are no different than the moronic mass' they belong to.
For Example, you cannot be liberal and a good Christian, you cannot be gay and a good Christian, you cannot be an adulterer and a good Christian.
You might see it as extreme but I call it Moral standing.
These people who say we need to be tolerant of others beliefs while not being tolerant of my beliefs.
These people with "Coexist" Bumper stickers who don't have a firm enough belief in anything that they can't understand why conflicting religions can't get along.
It's hard to get along with someone who is trying to kill you if you don't convert to what they believe so pardon me for my "blanket statements" but I will take that over the foolishness you want me to buy into.
I think it's funny that some say this world is full of extremes when it's not as extreme as one might think.
They might call Terrorists "extremists" but this is rare from how normal people live their lives.
If everyone were as extreme as you say then the word extreme would no longer apply since it would then be considered "normal".
At one point showing a bit of leg was extreme in the past but now extreme is when two women poo in a cup and then throw up in each others mouths!
Now showing leg is nothing let alone called extreme by any spark of the Imagination.
As far as "religion" goes According to God {The Christian one} we are to love Him with all our hearts soul and mind... If that isn't enough He told us that we should be either HOT or cold for Him we cannot be luke warm or He will spit us out of His mouth.
THAT is extreme by all means, For Jesus to go up on the cross and take punishment for something He didn't do and DIE for it. THAT is extreme.
Most people live apathetic lives and that is where they wind up... In spiritual apathy.
I can't stand certain types of groups {Not races} Such as Dems because they have all shown themselves to be the same, I have yet to find one that has proven me wrong.
If I found one that were to show themselves different then I would gladly say there is one person different than the rest.
Same with a few other groups that have shown they are no different than the moronic mass' they belong to.
For Example, you cannot be liberal and a good Christian, you cannot be gay and a good Christian, you cannot be an adulterer and a good Christian.
You might see it as extreme but I call it Moral standing.
These people who say we need to be tolerant of others beliefs while not being tolerant of my beliefs.
These people with "Coexist" Bumper stickers who don't have a firm enough belief in anything that they can't understand why conflicting religions can't get along.
It's hard to get along with someone who is trying to kill you if you don't convert to what they believe so pardon me for my "blanket statements" but I will take that over the foolishness you want me to buy into.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Ignorance is not bliss and anyone who says different is a liar.
They say ignorance is bliss but frankly I say that's a lie.
Just because your blissfully unaware of what's coming doesn't mean it won't get you, sure you'll be happy not knowing until you die from not knowing it was coming.
Ok, I'm going to sound like a total Nerd here and I really don't care because I am a bit of one and that's fine.
I know superman is a fictional character but I'm still going to use this analogy because it's the first thing that came to mind and it works for what I need it to.
Had Jor-El been "blissfully" unaware the the planet was collapsing He never would have sent His son to earth thereby altering the course of fictional human events.
Lex Luther would remain high and mighty and maybe even take over the world and so on.
Another point I offer is the fact that if you don't know a Nuclear bomb were to go off or a comet were to hit the earth anything you could have or would have done is thereby altered.
If you become aware think of all the good things you could wind up doing?
Being unaware just simply means you'll be happy enough until you die but other than that it remains useless to you.
The saying "Ignorance is bliss" conflicts with "Knowledge is power." and I think it's that way with everyone.
I think {This is only my opinion} that you are either a person that doesn't want to know staying totally oblivious to your surroundings or the type of person that is the other way and stay aware of what is going on.
Now there is a trade off in both cases, on one hand you have someone who is blissfully unaware their death is coming, live normally and die.
on the other hand there are different fingers... :)
Take the same person but lets make them aware that they'll die, they'll be a few types of people.
One, they will be stressed all day and look over their shoulder and so on making sure everything is safe taking every precaution as to ensure their survival.
Two, if they know that it's a person they might go to the police to make sure that the person doesn't do them harm.
Or three, they might put their affairs in order eat a fine meal and make sure everything is taken care of including their family.
You might say well they might know but now their stressed what good is your last day if you spend it stressed?
The point is that knowing they're going to die gives them the power to live differently than they might have had they not known and not to make them less stressed.
Are you the type of person who wants power or do you want to be helpless to the shifts of life?
There are the types of person that know things and still plead ignorance in not wanting to believe what someone tells them which despite popular belief is not ignorance at all.
Once you have the knowledge of something it's on your head whether or not you put it into use or believed it.
Let's say someone told you that Murder was wrong, Now it's not much of a mystery to know that it is but let's say that you had never heard this before.
So let's take this a step farther for a second, Now let's say you went and decided that you didn't believe the person, as a matter of fact it sounds down right silly to you.
A person comes across your path and does something to upset you enough for you to murder them, maybe it was just a whim and it seemed fun.
In any case they gather witness' and evidence, you are now arrested and thrown in jail, a little time goes by and you appear before a Judge.
He tells you they have all the evidence and witness' and you have broken the law, what do you have to say for yourself?
You proudly stand before the Judge and say "I didn't think it was wrong your Honor."
The Judge says "Didn't anyone teach you it was wrong, did no one tell you it was wrong?"
To which you reply "A man once told me it was wrong but I didn't believe Him, Why should I believe what one man says?"
"It's in the law, didn't you read it?"
"Yes but it seemed like a bunch of silly rules, Besides why should I believe a book, It might work for some people but it's not right for me."
He looks at you in shock as He says "Because it's the law."
The Judge shakes His head and sentences you to life in prison and as they start taking you away you plead and beg that you didn't know and for Him to please reconsider because you didn't know.
Just because you chose not to believe does not make you any less guilty of the crime you have committed.
It is the same way with the spiritual world, Many tell others what is right and wrong and give them the law book that can save them from a life time of Misery but some don't accept it or think they can fain ignorance when it's done.
Just because you choose to not believe it doesn't make you ignorant and doesn't make you any less guilty of the crime committed.
It says that anyone who has hated in their heart is a murder, anyone who has lusted is a adulterer and so on.
We're all guilty but the differences between some and others are our lawyers, for some Jesus is our Lawyer and there are others who think they can represent their case before God.
What most don't know is that they will never be able to pay their fine for the crimes they've committed and that Jesus already paid the fine for all His clients ahead of time.
The fine was costly but He did it out of love for His friend, which is why He has given it as a gift to us.
You may dig your head in the sand now and think you can explain later but we all must be accountable for our actions in the end.
I'll leave you with a Quote from the Movie Kingdom of Heaven which I have found inspiring.
Remember your soul is in your keeping alone. Even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say "but I was told by others to do thus" or that "virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice.
Just because your blissfully unaware of what's coming doesn't mean it won't get you, sure you'll be happy not knowing until you die from not knowing it was coming.
Ok, I'm going to sound like a total Nerd here and I really don't care because I am a bit of one and that's fine.
I know superman is a fictional character but I'm still going to use this analogy because it's the first thing that came to mind and it works for what I need it to.
Had Jor-El been "blissfully" unaware the the planet was collapsing He never would have sent His son to earth thereby altering the course of fictional human events.
Lex Luther would remain high and mighty and maybe even take over the world and so on.
Another point I offer is the fact that if you don't know a Nuclear bomb were to go off or a comet were to hit the earth anything you could have or would have done is thereby altered.
If you become aware think of all the good things you could wind up doing?
Being unaware just simply means you'll be happy enough until you die but other than that it remains useless to you.
The saying "Ignorance is bliss" conflicts with "Knowledge is power." and I think it's that way with everyone.
I think {This is only my opinion} that you are either a person that doesn't want to know staying totally oblivious to your surroundings or the type of person that is the other way and stay aware of what is going on.
Now there is a trade off in both cases, on one hand you have someone who is blissfully unaware their death is coming, live normally and die.
on the other hand there are different fingers... :)
Take the same person but lets make them aware that they'll die, they'll be a few types of people.
One, they will be stressed all day and look over their shoulder and so on making sure everything is safe taking every precaution as to ensure their survival.
Two, if they know that it's a person they might go to the police to make sure that the person doesn't do them harm.
Or three, they might put their affairs in order eat a fine meal and make sure everything is taken care of including their family.
You might say well they might know but now their stressed what good is your last day if you spend it stressed?
The point is that knowing they're going to die gives them the power to live differently than they might have had they not known and not to make them less stressed.
Are you the type of person who wants power or do you want to be helpless to the shifts of life?
There are the types of person that know things and still plead ignorance in not wanting to believe what someone tells them which despite popular belief is not ignorance at all.
Once you have the knowledge of something it's on your head whether or not you put it into use or believed it.
Let's say someone told you that Murder was wrong, Now it's not much of a mystery to know that it is but let's say that you had never heard this before.
So let's take this a step farther for a second, Now let's say you went and decided that you didn't believe the person, as a matter of fact it sounds down right silly to you.
A person comes across your path and does something to upset you enough for you to murder them, maybe it was just a whim and it seemed fun.
In any case they gather witness' and evidence, you are now arrested and thrown in jail, a little time goes by and you appear before a Judge.
He tells you they have all the evidence and witness' and you have broken the law, what do you have to say for yourself?
You proudly stand before the Judge and say "I didn't think it was wrong your Honor."
The Judge says "Didn't anyone teach you it was wrong, did no one tell you it was wrong?"
To which you reply "A man once told me it was wrong but I didn't believe Him, Why should I believe what one man says?"
"It's in the law, didn't you read it?"
"Yes but it seemed like a bunch of silly rules, Besides why should I believe a book, It might work for some people but it's not right for me."
He looks at you in shock as He says "Because it's the law."
The Judge shakes His head and sentences you to life in prison and as they start taking you away you plead and beg that you didn't know and for Him to please reconsider because you didn't know.
Just because you chose not to believe does not make you any less guilty of the crime you have committed.
It is the same way with the spiritual world, Many tell others what is right and wrong and give them the law book that can save them from a life time of Misery but some don't accept it or think they can fain ignorance when it's done.
Just because you choose to not believe it doesn't make you ignorant and doesn't make you any less guilty of the crime committed.
It says that anyone who has hated in their heart is a murder, anyone who has lusted is a adulterer and so on.
We're all guilty but the differences between some and others are our lawyers, for some Jesus is our Lawyer and there are others who think they can represent their case before God.
What most don't know is that they will never be able to pay their fine for the crimes they've committed and that Jesus already paid the fine for all His clients ahead of time.
The fine was costly but He did it out of love for His friend, which is why He has given it as a gift to us.
You may dig your head in the sand now and think you can explain later but we all must be accountable for our actions in the end.
I'll leave you with a Quote from the Movie Kingdom of Heaven which I have found inspiring.
Remember your soul is in your keeping alone. Even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say "but I was told by others to do thus" or that "virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice.
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